What California's #CruzCrew Wants You To Know

If you're a registered Republican voter in the state of California, your options for voting in Tuesday's presidential primary may seem very limited. Perhaps it's because registered Republicans can only vote for Republican primary candidates in California, but it's more likely the result of Donald Trump's trailblazing path to your party's nomination. When you pick up your ballot, though, you may see more choices than you'd expect, as you can still vote for Ted Cruz in California's primary.

Although California doesn't have truly "closed" primaries, Republicans have little choice in which ballot they receive at the polls. If you're registered as a Republican in California on Tuesday, you'll receive a Republican Party ballot, with choices for presidential nominee and state and local offices. (There's a pretty interesting Senate race going on in the Golden State, as well.) In other words, Republicans cannot vote for a presidential primary candidate who isn't a Republican, even though the primary race on the other side of the aisle is much more competitive at this point.

With an overwhelming winning streak and no candidates actively left to campaign against him, Trump has effectively clinched his party's nomination. Even establishment leaders, like House Speaker Paul Ryan, seem to be reluctantly falling in line behind the outspoken businessman. Trump appears to be the only GOP candidate left with any real path forward, but he's not the only candidate that California Republicans are voting for.

Early and absentee voting is underway in California ahead of Tuesday's in-person primary. Many of Texas Sen. Cruz's supporters have taken to Twitter to remind their sympathizers that Cruz's name still appears on the ballot, at least on those that have been distributed for early voting purposes. For instance, Ron Nehring, the national spokesman and California chairman for Cruz's campaign, tweeted the image above of his ballot displaying Cruz's name. Cruz's supporters in California have called themselves the Cruz Crew, and to call their advocacy efforts a last-ditch attempt at saving Cruz's campaign would seem an understatement given Trump's status in the race.

It's likely that Cruz's name will appear on in-person ballots in California, as well. He is still listed as a candidate on the records of the California secretary of state. According to those records, John Kasich, Jim Gilmore, and Ben Carson are also eligible candidates. Meanwhile, the list of Democratic candidates extends far beyond Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

If you're a member of the Cruz Crew, or you just can't stand to vote for Trump, you're probably pleased to know that Cruz's name will still appear with a bubble next to it on Tuesday. It's important to note, however, that filling in that bubble likely won't change the outcome of the Republican Party's race. After all, Cruz dropped out of the race more than a month ago. But, hey, any vote is more politically acceptable than no vote.